


Conversations Long Delayed

by lasergirl



Series: Power Generation [10]
Category: Studio 60
Genre: Power Generation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-02
Updated: 2010-04-02
Packaged: 2017-10-08 15:07:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/76895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasergirl/pseuds/lasergirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are some things Danny never got around to telling Matt about...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conversations Long Delayed

_**Studio 60: Conversations Long Delayed**_  
**Title:** Conversations Long Delayed  
**Fandom:** Studio 60  
**Characters:** Danny Tripp, Matt Albie  
**Rating:** Mature (implied drug use)  
**Notes:** Written for the now-annual [](http://community.livejournal.com/powergeneration/profile)[**powergeneration**](http://community.livejournal.com/powergeneration/) ficathon, from a prompt by [](http://akire-yta.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://akire-yta.livejournal.com/)**akire_yta** who pretty much prompted me on purpose so I'd write this story.  
**Summary:** There are some things Danny never got around to telling Matt about...

  
The Prompt:  
_Overdue Conversations_

**

"Okay, Danny, I know we needed to talk," Matt shut the door against curious ears and made a performance of locking it and shutting the venetian blinds on his window before getting back to the couch. "This is a big gig and I have no intention of blowing it."

"Did you already check for bugs?" Danny stood with his hands in his pockets, attempting disinterest. "You know, Jack Rudolph probably had this place wired for sound when he heard you were moving in here."

"Not funny," Matt scowled. "And stop standing around like I'm going to throw things at you."

"You're not? That's great news." Danny smirked. "With everything that's gone down this week, I figured you'd have moved on to darts instead of fresh fruit."

Matt glanced over at the fearsome electronic clock, slowly ticking its way to Doomsday. "I was thinking bricks. Maybe after this you can help me collect a few." True, it had been a hard week, but wasn't every week at Studio 60 a crisis nearly averted? He counted down ten seconds with the blood-red numbers, watching time slip away from him. Blinked. Tore his gaze away. "Seriously."

Danny sat, calm as ever, one ankle poised on the opposite knee, the picture of charm and responsibility. He raised an eyebrow.

Great. Matt on the spot. Just like always.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Matt couldn't help himself, it just sort of exploded out of his mouth and blew up. "You blew a Major Motion Picture contract for this? What the hell is WRONG with you? We've known each other for YEARS, you know you can talk to me about ANYTHING and still, I have to hear about this because some asshole tripped you up and you had to confess? All because you can't stay away from goddamn COCAINE? Danny. What the fuck is going on?"

Danny cocked his head and looked at the clock. Matt felt a cold chill running down his spine from the thing. He should just throw it out right now and never think about it again....

Danny said, "You have to know something about me...-"

Matt plowed right on. "The rehab, man, and the ten YEARS you had it under control, and you still end up with your balls on the line. You lost your WIFE for coke. You nearly lost me, but jesus christ, it could have been so bad. What made you slip? Why did you do it?"

"You were unhappy," Danny said with a shrug, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I made you do this?" Matt flailed around the room for a moment. "Is one of the twelve steps blaming other people for your wrongs?? If so, I've got to go to your meetings!"

"Matt," Danny said, cold and so quiet. "Sit down. Shut up. Listen to me for a minute."

"A minute? That's all it takes?" But Matt threw himself onto the couch and sat on his hands to keep from twitching. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Shut." Danny put his hand across Matt's mouth and gave a half-smile. "This isn't about the coke. I'm not going to make excuses for that. But you should see something." He dug into his back pocket, pulled a wallet out and flipped a plastic card onto the table. Matt grabbed it. "Empathic receptive. I get off on audiences having a good time. I can't help it."

"Say you're kidding me."

"Wish I could."

Matt looked bewildered for a moment, as the small type started to sink in. "Wait, so you... are you getting off on me right now?"

"Hah!" Danny laughed and took his license back. "You're too uptight to be doing anything more than giving me a headache right now. Which, by the way? You have to stop doing because it's murder trying to run dress rehearsals when you're in rewrites."

"Can you, I don't know, pay attention to your own work and let me work by myself?" Matt frowned, "Cause Danny, you know if this got out it'd be ten time worse than it is already. You want Jack Rudolph to have any more reasons to try to fire our asses? Besides the fact that we're anti-establishment? And all the writing staff hates me?"

"Oh, Matt...." Danny said in sudden gravity, "You don't know, do you?"

"Know? Know what? Did the writing staff change their minds? Do they love me know? Did Harry turn them around?" Matt grimaced sourly. "We're screwed, I just thought I'd say so."

"No, about you." Danny was grinning like a maniac, "My god, you don't KNOW! How did you.... Matt. Look at me."

"Promise me this isn't a magic trick-"

"Shut up. Just think of the.... imagine you've just had the best, mind-blowing sex ever, right here, right now and-"

"I said no magic tricks! And if you pull your pants down right now I'm going to have to give you a warning. What does this have to do with YOUR COKE PROBLEM?"

Danny dismissed the issue with a wave of his hand. "It isn't a problem, it's a symptom. Say, for example, you break up with Harriet-"

"-I did break up with Harriet-"

"-Right, so you broke up with Harriet. You feel lousy and depressed. Because *you* feel lousy and depressed, *I* feel lousy and depressed. Now say, for example, I'm about to start production on a Major Motion Picture that's going to be the tearjerker of the year, and now *I* have a major depressive episode coming on. I had to have a pick-me-up or seriously? You'd be dragging the Port of Los Angeles right now for my body."

Matt closed his eyes, looking pained. He put a hand to his forehead. "Wait. So me feeling lousy results in you trying to off yourself? I'm so glad we had this little chat. Are you done? I have this week's who to write." He got half off the couch before Danny yanked on his belt and pulled him back. "Okay, you're not done."

"No. Because obviously, you've never been tested, Matt, or you'd know. I'm a receptive, and you're a broadcaster." Danny sat back with a satisfied grin at Matt's absolute slack-jawed surprise. "You're empathic. I figured you knew."

"Uh." Matt said blankly. "I didn't? And WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS NOW?"

"So you'd understand that I'm not a coke addict. You *do* know I'm not a coke addict, right? Every Friday night, the audience comes in, and the lights go up, and I'm sitting in the biggest emotional hotbox in the world." Danny looked at Matt, trying to see if he understood. Matt just looked dumbfounded. Quiet, for once, but dumbfounded nonetheless. "Matt?"

"You just decided I needed to know that? On top of everything else?" Matt shook his head. "I can't even deal with that right now. Have you noticed we're both running Studio 60?"

"I thought you were worried about me," Danny said. It would take a few minutes for the whole think to sink in, but he could feel the confusion starting to work itself out. "But seeing as we got that all cleared up... I have work to do. So do you. You should get writing."

"Sure, sure," Matt said absently, trailing back to his desk to stare at the blank computer screen. "I need fifty-nine minutes of pure comedy gold. You go...."

Danny was at the door, throwing the lock when Matt said;

"Hey, Danny?"

He turned. "Yeah, Matt?"

"Are you serious? I have powers? For as long as you've known me, you knew that? And you didn't tell me?"

"Yeah. It never came up before."

And *then* Matt started throwing things.

**END.**   


Questions? Comments? Feedback always appreciated.


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